Bruno The Optimist

Joe Bruno, backed up by fellow Republicans including Dean Skelos, Joe Robach, John Bonacic, Tom Libous, Steven Saland, BettyÂ Little and Hugh Farley to name a few just gave his take on yesterday’s defeat in the 48th SD, saying, as did Libous earlier, that ”we lost the battle, now we are going to win the war.”Bruno also telegraphed how the Republican Senate plans to strategizeÂ November’s upcoming campaigns:Â by running against “Steamroller” Eliot Spitzer and stressing, especially upstate and in the suburbs, that people would be ill served by a Manhattan-dominated coterie of lawmakers such as the Senate Dems.”It represents diversity. I represents checks and balances” Bruno said of the Republican Senate, which with a one seat majorityÂ is the last bastion of GOP power in New York.Bruno also predicted they would increase their majority.”It’s not about any one individual. It’s about making sure every part of the state is treated fairly,” added Skelos, who has been speculated as a possible, eventual replacement to Bruno, assumingÂ the GOP holds it majority.Skelos also predicted that they would take back Craig Johnson’s seat next fall. Democratic Johnson won that seat in a special election after Gov. Eliot Spitzer hired away former Republican Sen. Michael Balboni, creating an opening.Another GOP lawmaker, who is aÂ former Democrat, Joe Robach, said he’d resisted similar job offers.”That’s been going on since last February, ” Bruno said ofÂ Spitzer trying to pick off Republican lawmakers with job offers. ”Nobody has moved. Everybody is here”Â Â Â Â